If you knew Judy, please feel free to share your thoughts and memories.

Are you a direct support professional? Tell us how you support people with developmental disabilities to become involved in self-advocacy!

The Administration on Developmental Disabilities is holding five regional meetings called the Allies in Self-Advocacy Summits to find out what is happening with the self-advocacy movement across the nation.

Did you attend one of the meetings? Does everyone on your state team get along?

What do you think about the self-advocacy movement in your state? What are you doing about it?

Do you want to find out what you can do for self-advocacy on a personal level, in your state, and nationally? Then JOIN THE CONVERSATION! Register for the upcoming National Conversation series!

What is the difference?
People First language is part of the history of the disability movement and the idea that and individual should be seen as a full person instead of labeled by their disability.
There are also many people in the disability community who do not see the word disabled as a bad thing. They claim their disability first as an essential part of their identity and nothing to be ashamed of. They also say that the word “disabled” holds political power.

So how do you know which one to use?
To be respectful, it is usually best to just ask what people prefer.

Tell us about what you prefer and why.

Check out this video and let us know what you think!

John studied at Portland’s Metropolitan Learning Center and at the Graphic School of Illustration and Cartooning. He graduated from Portland State University’s Life Skills Program in 1998. He has worked as an illustrator for The Oregonian and for the Hillside News. His work has been displayed in Oregon, New York, and North Carolina. His goal is to be a successful, independent artist and to one day meet Arnold Schwarzenegger.

John is making his first goal a reality. He is receiving Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services to set up his own business selling his art. Getting to this point has not been easy! VR agencies support people with disabilities to get jobs. Like most people, John wants to make a living doing what he loves – creating art. But being an artist is not a career choice that VR typically supports. Despite presenting a strong business plan and showing proof of profitability from art sales, John has had to push hard for services. After months of waiting, delays, and confusion, John’s support team wrote a letter to a state representative calling attention to his case. It worked! VR is finally providing funds to help John get his small business off the ground. You’ll be able to purchase John’s art in the Spotlight Studios gallery soon.

How about that latest issue of The Riot! on artists with disabilities? So we have a question for our readers:

Have you ever heard of something called Outsider Art?

Some people, with and without disabilities, call themselves outsider artists. They do things like graffiti art – painting on buildings, and most of them never went to school to be an artist.

Do you think that artists with disabilities fit into this group?

Do you think that people need to go to art school or get some kind of art training to be an artist?

How do you feel about the label Outsider Art?

Feel free to post a comment!